This is the first of a two-part article about the role of hunting in conservation activities. There are so many misconceptions about these topics that I hope to dispel in this series. Part 1 will focus on how conservation biologists perceive the concepts of biodiversity and conservation, while Part 2 will look at how hunting fits into the picture.
“The sun has set over Ruark’s Africa,” was a comment I saw in a magazine, inferring the passing of the great hunting days of the early 20 century in Africa. Such comments by a growing band of compassionate conservationists, who believe hunting is an outdated pastime reminiscent of colonial Africa, are commonplace these days. This is aggravated by popular literature, social media and uninformed journalists (there seems to be a lot of them around at present) who perpetuate the idea of a biodiversity “crisis”, blaming hunters for the overall catastrophic decline of wildlife. As hunters, we are quick to dismiss these “Greenie” opinions by sighting their flawed understanding of hunting and its impact on wildlife. By contrast, our views are often just as biased and full of innuendo and, sometimes, just as preposterous. I have, too often, been involved in debates with hunters who make unrealistic claims about the importance of hunting in conservation. In truth, public opinion and our world views are rarely
